Nigeria’s Flamingos are scheduled to depart the country on Wednesday for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals in Morocco, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Favour Nkwocha excused from the Super Falcons to strengthen the squad.

The two impressive players have been made available to the U-17 team after initially being invited to the Super Falcons’ camp ahead of their 2028 Olympic qualifying fixture against Comoros.

Adegbuyi returns to the Flamingos on the back of an outstanding showing at the recently concluded WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, where she was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.  

The FC Robo Queens forward was instrumental in Nigeria’s dominant campaign, helping the Flamingos win all five matches and lift the regional title without dropping a point.

Adegbuyi also scored in the final as Nigeria defeated Togo 4-0 to complete a perfect campaign, having earlier defeated Niger Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso and hosts Côte d’Ivoire.  

Her return gives coach Hakeem Busari another attacking option as the Flamingos prepare for the considerably bigger challenge awaiting them in Morocco.

Nkwocha, meanwhile, brings valuable experience from the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where she represented the Falconets in Poland.

Her release from the senior camp means she will now link up with the U-17 squad for the global tournament, providing the team with another player who has already experienced the demands of international competition at a FIFA finals.

The Flamingos head into Morocco with considerable momentum after their impressive WAFU-B triumph, where they scored 17 goals and conceded just twice across five matches.  

Nigeria secured their place at the World Cup after overcoming Benin Republic 8-5 on aggregate in the final round of the African qualifiers. The Flamingos won the second leg 5-3 in Lomé, with Queen Joseph scoring a hat-trick.  

The tournament in Morocco will be another opportunity for Nigeria’s U-17 women to build on their proud record at the competition. The Flamingos have qualified for every edition except the 2018 tournament and won a historic bronze medal at the 2022 finals in India.  

Morocco 2026 will also be the first edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup hosted on African soil. The tournament is scheduled for October 17 to November 7, with Nigeria drawn in Group B alongside Poland, Puerto Rico and defending champions Korea DPR.  

The Flamingos’ immediate task will now be to complete their final preparations and settle in Morocco before beginning their campaign on the global stage.

With the WAFU-B title already secured and two additional players returning from senior and U-20 duty, Nigeria will hope the momentum from their perfect regional campaign can translate into another deep run at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The tasks for Busari and his players is make the most of Nigeria’s latest opportunity to challenge for a first-ever U-17 Women’s World Cup title and improve on the country’s bronze-medal finish in 2022.